Fuse



B. C. CANDEE.

FUSE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB- 23, 19|7- RENEWED MAY 20,1920- 1,363,64;1 Patented Dec. 28, 1920.

Fig.1.

V INVENTUR TT El RNEE'EI.

UNITED STA'ILES BEBTRAM C. CANDEE, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

FUSE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 28, 1920.

Application filed February 23, 1917, Serial No. 150,417. Renewed May 20, 1920. Serial No. 382,926.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Bnn'rRAM C. CANnnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the, county of Erie and State of New York, have invented new. and useful Improvements in Fuses, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a fuse for electric circuits which contains a fusible member or element adapted to be melted when the current rises above a certain point, and thereby protect the apparatus associated with said circuit and the parts adjacent thereto.

In fuses of this character as heretofore constructed the fuse member itself was so incased and connected with the terminals of the fuse that it was possible to connect upthe fuse with the fuse block of the electric circuit while the fuse member or element was exposed which is objectionable on account of the possibility of injuring the fuse element and also the danger of accidental personal contact with the metal parts of the fuse within the casing.

. It is the object of: this invention to, provide an electric fuse in which the fuse memberv or element may be easily and quickly re placed .while the main. part of the fuse remains intact and unharmed after the fuse member melts or blows. The further object of this invention is toorganize the fusethat when the parts of the casing and the terminals are in their normal operative position in which the latter may be properly connected with the fuse'blockthen the fuse element and the parts associated therewith within the casing. are completely inclosed and it is necessaryto shift the sections of the casing andthe'terminals intoan abnor mal, position relativelyv tov each. other in or- .der to gain. accessztothe interior of the casing for renewing the fuse element,zthereby preventing the objection above referredto.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of one form of fuse embodying my improvements, thi section being taken on line 1-1, Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section taken at right angles to Fig. 1, and in line 22 thereon. Figs. 3 and 4 are cross sections taken in the correspondingly numbered lines in Fig. 2.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

Referring to Figs. 1-4, 1 and 2 represent the inner and outer tubular body sections of an lnclosing casing which are constructed of suitable insulating material, such as fiber, rubber or the like, and which are adapted to slide lengthwise upon each other for opening the fuse and exposing the interior of the caslng for inspection or repairs and also closing the fuse so that the parts on the inside thereof are covered and concealed. 3, a represent two headswhich form the ends of the casing and which are preferably constructed of sheet metal in the form of caps orcups. The head 3 is connected with theouter body section so as to move lengthwise therewith, this being preferably accomplished by means of a screw 5 connecting the flange of this head with the outer body section. The other end head 4 ha its flange constructed to slip over the opposite end of the outer body section but to move lengthwise with the inner body section, this connection between this head and the inner body section being effected in a manner which will presently appear. I

6, 7 represent two inner partitions or dia; phragms which are preferably constructed of sheet metal and secured in a, crosswise position in the inner body section adjacent to opposite ends of its bore by means of screws 8, 9, as. shown in Fig. 2,0r by any other suitable means,

One of the metal terminals of the-fuse is secured lengthwise in the central partof the head 3 which. moves lengthwise with the outer body section, so that the outer end 10 of thisterminal is exposed onthe exterior of the casing while the inner end 1O thereof projects into the space within the casing. At the opposite end;of thef'use is arranged another metal terminal which extendslength-- wise throughcentral openings formed in the other metal head 4 and the adjacent metal diaphragm-7, so that the outer end.12 of this terminal: is arranged on. the exterior of the casing and its innerv end 13 on the interior of the casing, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The connection between the terminal 10 and the head 3 and the connection between the terminal 12 and the head 4 and diaphragm 7 may be effected by soldering, as shown in Fig. 2, or in any other suitable manner.

14 represent a metal socket secured centrally to the diaphragm 6 preferably by soldering; the same in a central opening of the latter, as best shown in Fig. 2. This socket is adapted to receive the inner end 10 of one terminal and form a metallic electrical joint between the same when the sections of the casing are properly assembled. The inner end 15 of the socket andthe inner end 13 of the other terminal are adapted to be connected by a fuse element or member which is adapted to be melted when an excessive current traverses the This fuse member and the means for connecting the same to the terminal and socket end 13, 11 may be variously constructed but as shown in the drawings the same are preferably organized as follows:

16 represents the body of the fuse element or link which is preferably constructed in the form of a strip having wide ends and a narrow central part and provided at its opposits ends with coupling lips 17, 17 which project laterally in the same direction. The end portions 13, 11 of said terminal and the socket are constructed of tapering form, so that the large parts of these ends are arranged opposite each other. Adjacent to the small parts of these tapering ends 13, 11 the latter are provided with transverse slots 18, 18. In applying a fuse element to the socket and terminal ends 11, 13 the lips 17 of a fuse element are inserted in the trans verse slots 18 and one side of the body portion of this fuse element is engaged by the inclined outer sides of the tapering ends 11, 13 which latter are prefe ably provided with recesses to receive the ends of the fuse element or link, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. After the fuse element has been thus applied to these ends the same is securely clamped thereon by means of two longitudinally movable clampin sleeves 19 each of which surrounds one of these tapering ends and is of correspondingly tapering form and adapted when moved lengthwise toward the center of the fuse element to firmly engage the outer side of the body thereof.

On diametrically opposite sides of the inner body section of the casing the same is provided with elongated openings or longitudinal slots 20 which are in line with the inner attaching ends 13, 11 of one terminal and the socket, so that when the two body sections are pulled lengthwise apart sufficient to uncover these slots it is possible to easily reach the attaching ends 13, 11 for removing the melted parts of the blown fuse element therefrom and replacing the same with a new fuse element.

The terminals of this fuse are flattened or elongated transversely in the form of plates, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4, and the socket and the attaching ends 11, 13 are of correspondingly flattened or transversely elongated form, and when the parts are in their normal assembled position the two flattened terminals are parallel and arranged in the same plane. It is therefore impossible to engage the inner end 11 of one terminal with the socket and move the two body sections fully lengthwise into their closed posi tion one upon the other without at the same time getting the outer ends of the two terminals in the same plane which is necessary in order to permit of engaging these terminals with a fuse block. For the purpose of taking the fuse apart so as to gain access to its interior it is only necessary to pull the two tubular body sections lengthwise apart until the openings 20 in the inner body section are uncovered. The attaching ends 13, 11 of one terminal and the socket are now exposed and the fuse element may be easily connected therewith by means of the clamping sleeves in the manner heretofore described. While the two body sections are thus pulled apart and are in a position which permits of renewing the fuse element the socket and the inner end 11 of one terminal are out of engagement from each other. After a new fuse element has been connected with the attaching ends 13, 11 the two body sections are again moved lengthwise toward each other whereby the outer body section slides over the openings in the inner body section and forms a complete inclosure for the fuse element and the internal metal parts associated therewith and the inner end 11 of one terminal also engages with the metal socket. thereby completing the electrical connection between the terminals and placing the fuse in condition for use.

By so constructing the sections of the case and the terminals mounted thereon that these parts must be arranged in their normal operative position before the fuse element is completely inclosed it is impossible to leave the fuse element unguarded and thereby insures greater safety in the use of the fuse.

The fuse element is therefore by this means always protected and accidents due to using the fuse while the fuse element is exposed are avoided.

I claim as my invention:

1. A fuse comprising a casing having inner and outer tubular body sections of insulating material slidable lengthwise upon each other, two metallic heads arranged at opposite ends of said body sections and one of which moves with said inner section and the other with said outer section, two metallic diaphragms arranged within the inner body section and secured thereto adjacent to opposite ends thereof, two metal terminals which have parts arranged internally and externally of the casing and one of which is mounted on one of said heads and the adjacent diaphragm while the other is mounted on the other of said heads, a socket mounted on the other of said diaphragms and receiving the inner end of the terminal moving with said outer body section, and

means for securing a fuse member to said socket and the terminal moving with said inner body section.

2. A fuse comprising an attaching memher having a tapering exterior adapted to engage with the one side of a longitudinal part of a fuse member and also having a transverse opening adapted to receive a transverse lip at the end of said longitudinal fuse part, and a tapering clamping sleeve 10 movable lengthwise of said attaching mem her and adapted to engage with the opposite side of said longitudinal fuse part.

BERTRAM C. CANDEE. 

